It is well known to provide an inflatable air bag for restraining a vehicle occupant. The air bag assembly includes a folded bag which is connected to a source of inflation gas. Release of the inflation gas into the air bag causes the bag to expand rapidly so that a face wall of the air bag is displaced toward contact with the occupant. It is well known to provide such air bags having internal walls which divide the air bag into various chambers and to provide openings in the walls to communicate inflation gas between the chambers. Prior patents have proposed various arrangements of check valves and pressure relief valves for selectively opening and closing the opening to control the communication of inflation gas between the chambers.
The present invention provides a new and improved air bag assembly in which the degree of opening and closing of the opening communicating between the air bag chambers is dependant upon the displacement of the air bag toward the fully deployed position.